Regardless of how you feel about Kacey Musgraves, her music, her politics, or the ideologies she espouses, she symbolizes nothing short of a victory in the effort to save country music. To have a major label artist release an album like Pageant Material, full of traditional country leanings and songwriter-based material, is a sizable leap forward for the genre. And this is not just from some 2nd or 3rd-tier star who is destined to be on the wrong side of seeing the attention she deserves come to fruition. Forget about mainstream country radio, Kacey Musgraves is a perrenial Female Vocalist of the Year candidate now, and a former winner for Album of the Year and Song of the Year from the industry’s highest institutions.

Yet she’s still solidly an outsider, and an underdog, and nowhere does Kacey exemplify that more than in the semi-protest song “Good ‘Ol Boys Club.” With confidence and grace, she espouses her desire to not be the popular cash cow of country music, but to be herself and remain content with whatever that approach reaps. In “Pageant Material,” she speaks about her inability to be fake on camera and play the game. “I wish I could, but I just can’t wear a smile when a smile ain’t what I’m feeling,” she says, yet her words about never being good enough to wear the sash have already been disproved. In an industry where blockbusters reign, Kacey Musgraves has shown that quality can still win the popularity contests.

Where Kacey’s debut major label album Same Trailer, Different Park was released when she still very much was an unknown quantity, now the eyes of the music industry are squarely upon her, and not just in country. A favorite of Northeast media elites who don’t pay attention to country music unless they can piggy back a professing of their political ideologies through it—they are already singing the praises of this album to the roof. Those that criticize Kacey’s politics may be a little disappointed at the lack of red meat she throws them in Pageant Material. Though there’s certainly the quippy remarks about some of the stuffy old outdated values still alive in the recesses of the South, there’s nowhere near the amount of inferences to homosexuality, marijuana, or other subjects that straddle the cultural divide that there were on her freshman effort.

But still you get this sense of judgement coming from Kacey that makes for an uncomfortable listen in places. Musgraves loves to expound on how we should all keep our noses out of everyone else’s business, but then feels inclined to stick her nose in the business of others with a song like “Miserable.” Though Kacey loves to foil the little foibles about Southern small town living, she also borrows heavily from that culture in the kitschy and traditional motif of her music. She’s a strange bird, which may not be a bad thing, but the contradictions can sometimes be confounding, and corrosive to her likability.

One big concern heading into this release was if we would hear the same old approach to 13 new songs—something that crept up as an issue when Musgraves released “Biscuits” and “Family is Family” ahead of the album. Very similar to each other, and very similar to previous material, these songs seemed to hint to the insular songwriting environment that have formed around the 26-year-old. It’s this Musgraves, Luke Laird, Josh Osborne, Shane McAnally, Brandy Clark super-fecta of songwriters that seems to have found their groove and formula, and fear veering too far away from it. We knew the full album would offer more variety, and now after listening to it, “Biscuits” and “Family is Family” might be the worst formulaic offenders. But still, where a song like “Somebody to Love” would be excellent standing alone, it’s similarity to other Musgraves material is palpable, and puts a damper on its impact, however slight. And “This Town” relies on Musgraves’ oft-used small town disillusionment tactic.

But Pageant Material remains an album that is only fair to characterize as well-written, and one that is underwritten by a traditional country approach throughout. Where Same Trailer, Different Park had to be a little more calculated and pragmatic, sneaking its traditional leanings between the lines, certain sections of Pageant Material are some of the most traditional-sounding material we’ve heard from a top tier star in memory. Steel guitar and fiddle are not shy in the mix at all, and neither are the waltz-timed songs. “Traditional” may not even be the right word here. It’s more neo-traditional, meaning reaching back to the 50’s and 60’s instead of the 70’s and early 80’s. Kacey Musgraves doubles down on her kitschy, thrift store approach on this record as something more than just pagentry or posturing.

And there’s a few songs that are quite surprising, and venture well out of Kacey’s comfort zone. “Late to the Party” was a little unexpected, and despite it’s laid back, acoustic, and country-ish production, it captures more of a modernist, almost R&B sentiment that would be in alignment with the current mainstream country trends. “Die Fun” my be the most hard-to-read and polarizing track on the record. Without looking at the liner notes, you might think it was a songwriting collaboration with Musgraves’ good friend Katy Perry in the way it trivializes a life of purpose and promotes a party lifestyle that on the surface would be a polar opposite to Kacey’s general themes. A bit of sarcasm I suppose—or not. But with a pop-ish melody, don’t be surprised if it ends up as a single.

A song that should end up as a single is “Dime Store Cowboy.” Kacey Musgraves is a lyrical writer for the most part, not a melody writer. But “Dime Store Cowboy” gets the melody right.

Possibly Pageant Material‘s greatest contribution comes at the very end. The final song “Fine” might be Kacey’s greatest major label contribution yet. When listening to this song, I finally put my finger on what is missing in Kacey’s music that keeps it ascending from good to great. Her reliance of formula has already been well discussed, but it’s the lack of love songs, and songs that feel more personal that leaves some Musgraves listeners wanting. There too much “them,” and not enough “me.” Most of the great songs in country music weren’t written by a troika around a yellow notepad, they were written by an individual struggling through a very personal moment. That is what “Fine” captures, and in an aggressively-traditional waltz-beat style.

Then the album ends with a hidden duet with Willie Nelson on his song “Are You Sure.” It’s great to hear Willie in this context, but it sure is a shame the track is “hidden.” Assign your favorite conspiracy theory to that decision.

Pageant Material feels like the album Kacey Musgraves wanted to make. No compromise, no half measures, and though the formulaic approach holds it back, there is some growth evidenced in spurts, and some very good songs. Many will assign this “Album of the Year” accolades, some for social reasons beyond the music itself, and some because they are not privy to all the music most active country listeners are. But Pageant Material remains a solid effort, and delivered slightly above expectations.

139 Comments

Nate
June 23, 2015 @
6:25 pm

I think they released Biscuits and Family is Family because they were so similar to the previous effort. But my favorites are the ones that deviate from the formula like you said with I’m Fine and my other favorite is Late to the Party because it’s a unique take on a slow dance song.

“Also Katy Perry, Still more country than Sam Hunt.”
I started cracking up! …Sad thing is, you’re right. I’d call the acoustic version of “The One That Got Away” a country song. Listen for yourself.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSWWVXGQG8Y

I have the vinyl preordered for the July release, so I’m looking forward to getting it. She has a great style (and her clothing style is second to none). Nobody complained about George, Loretta, Waylon, Merle, Willie, et al sticking to their styles and making the music they want, and I’m not about to complain about petty similarities in her music. Personally, I can picture people, instances, towns, households, family members, acquaintances, coworkers, and moments in her music that strike a chord with me. I hope she doesn’t stray from what she does.

“Family is Family” and “Biscuits” are the only two songs on this album that I don’t love, and I would agree are far too formulaic. As for everything else, I’m impressed and relieved. I’m also finding that each song is growing on me more and more with each listen.

My problem with Dime Store Cowboy is who is going to relate to that song? It would be a strange choice for me as a single cause it’s too chalked-up personal antidotes. What’s going to be the connection with radio listeners?

nobody relates to drinking fireball in a pickup while tearing up a cornfield with a girl in daisy dukes in the passenger seat singing along to the radio while on your way to a moonlight tailgate party in the backwoods but everybody eats that shit up

“nobody relates to drinking fireball in a pickup while tearing up a cornfield with a girl in daisy dukes in the passenger seat singing along to the radio while on your way to a moonlight tailgate party in the backwoods but everybody eats that shit up ”

Hey …now THERE’S some good ideas and images for a song Nate …Can I use that stuff ….?

Absolutely love the album. As a huge fan of Miranda Lambert, I felt large similarities in this album that I hadn’t felt in her first album. I listened to it 4 times today and will continue again tomorrow. I think you hit the nail on the head Trig, this one was pleasantly surprising. This album is one of the best female albums I’ve heard in a long long time.

It’s a very Miranda sounding album. Pageant is what I was hoping Platinuim would have sounded like last year. Maybe that’s why Biscuts and Family don’t bother me so much.
Also, I wish Musgraves gave “High Time” to Lee Ann Womack. She sounds like her soo much in the chorus.

This review hit all the right pros and cons of this album. For me personally, it was a couple big risks short of what I would consider perfection for her, but still a record that people will have to consider one of the most definitively loyal pieces of art in the modern country era.

The last track on the album (including the hidden Willie duet) is where the album redeems some of its earlier transgressions. She ends very strong—something too many people overlook in making albums these days.

A major problem nowadays. It’s in a Garth book called the Garth factor by patsy bale cox but he notes an album should be strategically placed song by song. You should be able to go on stage and perform each one on it in sequential order and be able to hold the crowd.

It’s because nobody respects the album concept. Kacey did, and I agree Garth did to an extend as well. It’s old school to think about because most fans now only buy singles. But Garth fans and Kacey fans are going to be album listeners.

I agree, the opening and closing of an album are important to the overall experience and on the previous album the first and last songs were my least favourite, i didn’t mind the songs, but the album woulda hit harder with the order changed a bit, haven’t listened to this one nearly as many times but i’m enjoying this a bit more, largely for that reason

Yeah, I’ve thought about that often, but the simple fact is that the album concept is a greater vehicle for an artist to express themselves and to make singles have more value. If nothing else, this album is a good example of this.

I’d add Eric Church fans to a slightly lesser extent as well, regardless of how incohesive “The Outsiders” turned out

Church has regularly remarked he is insistent on adhering to writing albums, and while he hasn’t always sticked the landing, it’s hard not to see it’s working when “The Outsiders” is still in the Top Ten going on seventy weeks into its chart run.

It would be greatly appreciated. I read this site all of the time and really enjoy the articles but I don’t think you’ve ever had a chance to talk about Corey smith. Pretty perfect time now considering this will be a CD of his not produced by him for the first time and the 2nd not independently released.

I love Kacey more than some of my family members, so I am a tad bias, but I’m loving this album, as a whole, more than Same Trailer. Family Is Family isn’t my fave (I’ve been skipping it recently to enjoy other tracks), but it’s not my least favorite song ever. From what I can gauge from fellow teen/college kids who love Kacey, “Dime Store Cowgirl” and “Die Fun” are getting much love. “Fine” is my favorite, and I find it one of the most beautiful songs written in the past decade.

Your description of “Fine” in particular has me excited to listen to this album. Right now I consider myself more of a Kacey Musgraves supporter than a Kacey Musgraves fan, and I think it may be for the reasons you describe – there has seemed to be a detachment to the writing. That’s the area where I hope she continues to emulate Dolly, whose classic songs are full of heart and soul. This sounds promising.

I love this album it flows really well. I love how she has a go at Nashville in Good ol boys club and that line about big machine, so good. The song sounds like one of Loretta Lynn’s songs and im trying to figure out which one but im having trouble.

The only thing I take away from her is her look from a personal standpoint. Even on the cover she just looks like a tough cookie to crack. She isn’t naturally looking a fun person. Looks like you sort of have to crack the egg to get into the the yoke to see what she really is about.
Otherwise take that away I love the way she is doing things and I like her more and more.

I just listened to “Fine” and “Dime Store Cowgirls”. Both of them contain an “airy” update to traditional country music, which is exactly the direction in which real country should evolve.

“Fine” is a truly beautiful song. The lyrics remind me of Taylor Swift’s “Last Kiss” from her Speak Now album (one of my favorite Taylor songs), and the sound gets the neo-traditional feel just right with the perfect combination of old-fashioned acoustic-and-steel and progressive “airiness”.

By the way, Trigger, do you happen to know how these “airy” sounds are created? Is it made with steel guitar, electric guitar, or with synths?

I guess what “airy” is is up for interpretation, but I think what you might be trying to say is these songs have space, meaning the drums and percussion specifically is very light, I believe “Fine” has some ukulele in it which is a very airy instrument. The production of the entire album is fairly stripped down, especially for a mainstream project. It’s not a wall of sound. The instrumentation is sparse, and you can pick apart each instrument in the mix. Tasteful.

Well, echo, chorus, or reverb can be used in either the recording or mixing/mastering process to create the airy feel you’re talking about. But it’s all about creating a wide space for the music. But maybe I’m not sure what you’re taking about.

The production of the entire album is fairly stripped down, especially for a mainstream project. It”™s not a wall of sound. The instrumentation is sparse, and you can pick apart each instrument in the mix. Tasteful.

Glad to hear that. That definitely encourages me to give the album a listen.

“By the way, Trigger, do you happen to know how these “airy” sounds are created? Is it made with steel guitar, electric guitar, or with synths?”

Eric ..I know you were asking Trigger , but if you don’t mind I’ll chime in here.
The answer is ” all of the above ” are involved in creating that ” airiness” you refer to in these tracks . Certainly the steel guitar is used very effectively in this regard on Pageant Material , as opposed to being a more featured solo instrument…..but the bigger contributor is what is referred to as a ” pad “. Its a nondescript sound effect , if you will ,that is usually triggered by a midi keyboard controller and which, in a very subtle way , fills the ‘spaces’ in the sonic palette without drawing attention to itself . Call it a sonic fog machine . It helps creates the mood but the music can still move through it unobstructed . In fact these pads have been around forever in pop / prog pop / fusion-y jazz and , of course , movie scores. Much contemporary country implements these sounds ( usually samples that have been manipulated ) but they are really quite buried under a wall of guitars or the over-loud and over-compressed drum/bass beds on most pop-country . More and more often in these times , bands performing live are performing to a clik track ( a metronome which only the drummer can hear ) and tracks used on the studio recordings of their music . This means they can incorporate those ” pads” live without anyone actually having to play them on stage . Simply put ..its like Karaoke ….the band is singing and performing along with pre-recorded tracks which they sync to by way of that clik track . You may know all of this …but just to illustrate more completely what’s going on in live performance .
Pads are very effective indeed when they know their place and their role and aren’t trying to steal the show , so to speak .

“But still you get this sense of judgement coming from Kacey that makes for an uncomfortable listen in places. Musgraves loves to expound on how we should all keep our noses out of everyone else”™s business, but then feels inclined to stick her nose in the business of others with a song like “Miserable.”

Nailed it. I enjoy Kacey’s music for the most part, but am kind of turned off by this thread that runs through some of her songs.

There isn’t a song on this album I don’t like. The worst song is “Miserable”, but even that has not as much to do with the song as it does in the context of the album. Even then, the song isn’t that great on its own. Pageant Material, Late To The Party, Fine, and Good Ol Boys Club are easily my favorites.

Speaking of Good Ol Boys Club, gotta love that not-so-subtle jab at Big Machine in the chorus.

I’ve been going back and forth about whether I believe that is truly a jab at Big Machine Records, or just a common colloquialism. If my memory serves me right, Scott Borchetta named it Big Machine to be ironic since the label was completely independent and started with only a couple of employees.

I believe its Hot Country Songs peak was due to its solid opening sales week. But when you consider RaeLynn’s “For a Boy” sold about the same amount of copies in its first week, it’s hard to celebrate.

That’s how I try to explain it to those who are obviously sporting fan goggles and act like Musgraves is entitled to mass airplay.

Like I said in another discussion thread yesterday, the reality remains that “Merry Go ‘Round” is her only single to date that became a chart hit via means of conventional promotion and hype. Her only other chart hit has been “Follow Your Arrow”, and while I’m certainly not going to diminish the fact it was a hit regardless in that sales figures ultimately don’t lie………….it’s important to consider the context: which is that during its natural radio run, “Follow Your Arrow” had middling sales much like “Biscuits”. It wasn’t exactly “blowing up”. But thanks to a rare degree of overwhelming critical hype beyond the country format that I’d dare say we haven’t seen since “Taking The Long Way”-era Dixie Chicks, “Follow Your Arrow” was aggressively catapulted on several occasions up the digital charts.

It’s still a hit obviously, but even her fans should be able to admit she was absolutely fortunate to get all the glowing press and special attention that go around that most mainstream country artists never enjoy beyond their debut efforts.

*

Musgraves has yet to collect a second chart hit via more natural means of promotion. And she’s not entitled to mass airplay just because fans and the press love her. After all, RaeLynn has fans that love her too and I would guess some obvious suspects for “country news” sources do too.

Pistol Annies, Brandy Clark, Angaleena Presley, Holly Williams, Lambert, Ashley Monroe, LeeAnn Womack are all step above Musgraves as a writer no matter how many times I’m told she is the second coming. How about she write a few songs solo instead of continuing to work w/ others. Agree it would be interesting to her from just her. Luv, luv Willie at the end.

I remember reading a comment on SCM one time talking about how one thing Kacey lacked which might help her credibility with the country music audience at large was a “Coal Miner’s Daughter” style song – a song which would proudly proclaim her roots as a true country girl at heart, in spite of some of her pointed commentaries about small town Southern life. I believe she has done just that with “Dime Store Cowgirl.”

Some of the lyrics:

I’m just a dime store cowgirl
That’s all I’m ever gonna be
You can take me out of the country
But you can’t take the country out of me, no
Cause I’m still the girl from Golden
Had to get away so I could grow
But it don’t matter where I’m goin’
I’ll still call my hometown home…”

It’s a nice little song, and a pretty refreshing sentiment, coming from Kacey. Think of it as the counterpoint to “Merry Go Round” and other similar songs. It’s endearing, I think.

Gotta say, Miserable sounds like a breakup song, not the “this person sucks! Amirite?” song you’re portraying it as. She’s sad about the fact that she can’t keep the song’s subject “company no more.”

It’s not a “cheer up, you louse” song. It’s a “I’m sorry but, however much I care for you, I can’t be around someone with your attitude anymore.”

Anyway, just finished my first listen-through. Very, very good stuff, and a definite step up from Same Trailer, Different Park (which I really liked). Now it’s time to breathlessly anticipate Something More Than Free, haha.

I don’t know that I would characterize it as a “this person sucks” song. I do think there’s an element of judgement in it, and that is what I was concerned with. But like many songs, it can be interpreted in different ways by different listeners.

That’s fair. I just don’t think that her general catalog is against judgment as such so much as it is against prejudice, if you know what I mean. It’s totally fine to make an assessment of someone with whom you interact regularly, we all do that, but you should cast summary judgments of people whom you don’t know based off of actions whose context you can’t see.

To me it’s a song she wrote for a friend that was always bringing her down to the point where she couldn’t be around that person without feeling miserable herself. When the friend got mad and asked why they were no longer friends, Kacey wrote the song. Just my interpretation.

Does anyone else find amazement in the fact that these songwriter/producers go from artists like Kacey Musgraves projects to ones like Sam Hunt, etc? Lol I can’t decide if its talent or if its shadily methodical and systematic.

Its nothing against the two of them because I happen to think they’re both authentic in what they do and who they are. But I mean do these other writers slick back their hair and do a shot of vodka at the club before a session with him and then smoke a joint in a trailer and get out their other formula for her? Lol. Its just weird to me that they would be able to make contributions drawn from any real life experience in two drastically different projects.

I think it’s more to do with who the singer is than who the producer is. If Sam Hunt wants to make an R&B album, Shane McAnally is going to produce an R&B album. If Kacey wants to make a traditional country record, that’s what he’ll produce. Remember that Jack White produced for Loretta Lynn, so producing songs across genres isn’t too uncommon. But Loretta didn’t take that album and promote it as rock either, which is the big difference in these two examples.

I look at it like Jamey Johnson’s hand in writing Badonkadonk. They still have to make a living, and if coming up with a few crappy songs that become hits allows them to be able to keep doing the great songs that don’t sell as much I have no problem with it.

If that’s truly what you believe their mindset is then I guess that’s one thing. But from my experience on this website since Sam Hunt has debuted, its not the quality of the songs themselves that people particularly have a problem with. Its the fact that they are existing within the country format and being labeled as such. So in that respect, for them to genuinely try to write songs with him it would be different than just going into it to write crappy songs. So I guess that depends on what you think their intentions are.

Let’s tap the brakes a little bit. I’m not saying ‘Miserable” is some horrible song. I just thought that from my perspective, it included a element of judgement that I didn’t appreciate. Others feel differently. In the end it’s just one song on an album I gave a very positive review.

Oh, I’m not talking about Miserable at all. I’m saying that we should give McAnally the benefit of the doubt for his culpability in the existence of Sam Hunt, since even guys like Johnson and Stapleton write for a paycheck.

That’s fair. I’m just inclined to be more forgiving for guys who I are still in the stage of their careers where making money materially affects their lives.

Presumably, McAnally and Stapleton aren’t in the professional position to be able to tell their employers “fuck you, I don’t want to write garbage for Sam Hunt/Thomas Rhett and pass it off as country” without getting fired, or the financial position that getting fired wouldn’t have a significant affect on their family’s quality of life.

If writing hits for the Sam Hunts of the world is what it takes for the label to allow less profitable ventures like Musgraves’ and Stapleton’s stuff to go untarnished, I’ll take that trade.

However, I do recognize that my position on this likely comes from my status as someone who likes listening to good country music, rather than a devotee of the genre. If that disgusting RaeLynn song comes on the radio, I’ll switch to the throwback hip hop station or the public folk station and be just as happy listening to “Dear Mama” or “Wasted and Rolling” (the genres aren’t what you would think, haha) as I would be listening to Dime Store Cowgirl or Traveler.

Lester I hear you loud and clear. I do. So try to hear me now, because I think you’re missing the point. You’re speaking as if the way these songs were written belong down in the bottom of the barrel with stuff like Honky Tonk Badonkadonk. And if that’s what you so believe then you’re consistent with that thinking and that’s fine. But, from the experience of reading the criticism from people of Sam Hunt, and you can go back and read any of it in the threads on this site if you want, the issue has not specifically been the quality of the songwriting, its that these songs are existing within the country format. So in that regard, what I am saying, is that I would think it would be difficult for these writers to offer up any authenticity into the songwriting for him that his music probably calls for just to even make it descent enough for him to do what he does. I don’t think I have seen a single person question his authenticity or think he’s putting on an act regardless of whether or not they like him. But like I said if you think the album is just all bad music then that part I can understand.

Personally, I was very excited when Leave the Night On (one of McAnally’s co-writes with Hunt) popped up on my radio station last summer, because it was the first new song on country radio I heard in a while that didn’t fundamentally suck as music, even if it definitely wasn’t country.

Like Albert says below, it’s quite possible that McAnally is a guy who you come to when you’ve got the outline of your song ready to go, and he cleans it up and makes it usable/singable. If he’s there for his skills as a craftsman more than as a creative type, then his ability to move between genres effectively makes a lot of sense.

“Does anyone else find amazement in the fact that these songwriter/producers go from artists like Kacey Musgraves projects to ones like Sam Hunt, etc? Lol I can”™t decide if its talent or if its shadily methodical and systematic”

.As a writer who’s involved with writers , I can offer that the expression ” 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration ” is really what writing a good song is all about .

More often than not , the initial idea ( coming from the artist themselves ) is only a starting point . Perhaps they have a title and a direction or simply some phrases or a few points written down to illustrate where they want the lyric to go . The ” pro ” writers then get involved and bring the all-important crafting into the process …the ” heavy lifting ” so to speak . I have young writers bring solid ideas to our studio …then apply my/our knowledge and experience in terms of phrasing , grammar , internal rhymes , imagery , melody , use of alliteration, genre choices , vibe and whatever else the lyric /melody/themes seem to be looking for . Professional writers turn the sketches into complete paintings ….paintings acceptable and accessible by not only listeners but , hopefully , radio/ labels etc.

Think of it as a professional writer scoring a movie . If that movie is about space-ships and interstellar threats , the person scoring it will bring all of his experience in to play in supporting that plot musically . The same person may get called to score a romantic comedy and do a hell of a job . Its craft ….knowing how to support the subject .

Professional writers are called upon BECAUSE they have experience in many areas in terms of PROSODY ( marrying the right music to the theme , narrative ) ,making a phrase ‘ pop ‘ out of a line , making sure the vocalist won’t stumble over tongue-tying lines , making sure the song isn’t redundant in terms of information , ensuring there is enough contrast and dynamic to hold a listener’s ear etc . This is the stuff you can only learn through trial and error and why MOST artists initial solo writes are nowhere near up-to-snuff .
Unfortunately for contemporary country radio music , even the ” Pro” writers don’t seem to be able to incorporate enough craft to save many of the newer songs from just being boring , generic , derivative and forgettable .

I think Kacey has decidedly chosen the ” If it ain’t broke ….” approach to Pageant Material and for the most part ,I think its a good choice . Obviously she attracted the attention of fans hungry for something real and retro-different with Same Trailer etc..and I think it would have been a mistake once garnering their trust and attention to change horses in the middle of the stream( ing ? ) . She owed them more of the same to thank them for their interest and accolades . She hit a music vein that had been unmined for quite a while and it produced and was welcomed and appreciated.
Saying all of that and as much as I love this record and especially the production , I believe that at some point she may have to risk rocking her own boat a little to keep fans ( and her band ) engaged and a fire lit in the artist that she is . The songs are very very well done , if not quite as ‘ shocking ‘ or new-sounding as her last album .They are cleverly crafted , clearly delivered , and make good,strong points unique to most current fare . She is decidedly not the IN YOUR FACE new kid doing every technical thing possible to get radio’s attention ( short of …well …SHORT skirts and an incredible smile ) and hopefully will never be that artist . She has too much talent to have to rely on dumbed -down loud EDM- driven material . I think Trigger’s assessment above is spot on and I agree with the rating . The melodies and music subtleties on Kacey’s newest outing are the growable kind and given a chance I think most listeners will understand and totally appreciate that fact …..particularly in a musical climate that doesn’t really focus on subtleties and melodic strengths of a song/artist .

Damn good album by Kacey. She is easily the best female singer in country today. Good Ol’ Boys Club and High Time are the best songs in my opinion. Are you sure is a hell of a song too. I have definitely been loving Family Is Family as well, such a classic country song. Die Fun is the only song I don’t care for. Great effort here.

Great review!
“Pageant Material remains a solid effort, and delivered slightly above expectations.” – exactly my thoughts.
I enjoyed the more traditional country production compared to Same Trailer Different Park.
“Good Ol’ Boys Club”, “Pageant Material”, “High Time”, “Dime Store Cowgirl” and “Fine” are my favorites.
I am also curious as to why “Are You Sure” is a hidden track. It”s a brilliant album closer and deserves ti be publicised like the rest of the songs.

Pageant Material is a country album, something that cannot be said for most mainstream “Country” albums released this year.

This is roughly equal to “Same Trailer Different Park” to my ears; arguably a tad better.

Now I know I’ve went off a number of times about how I consider “Same Trailer Different Park” one of the most overrated albums of the decade so far (which I absolutely stand by that assertion when you consider exactly how much special treatment she got around its release which is unprecedented for a debut among female country performers)…………………..and much of it came down to how safe, samey and undercooked a number of tracks were, along with some juvenile throwaways like “Stupid” and “Step Off”.

But I think what most explains the notable divide between my good-but-not-great conclusion on that album and the “ZOMG, Musgraves is the new savior of country music in the making!!!!!” among most of the critical press and message boards related to country music…………………comes down to two things.

Firstly, the lyricism came across as more clever than it actually was on paper. It absolutely worked on “Merry Go ‘Round” and I still consider that one of the best debut singles in all recent memory, but in the case of “Follow Your Arrow”, “Silver Lining”, “My House” and the two aforementioned weakest links, there just wasn’t depth to the lyricism nor edge in the production to justify what got jotted on paper.

And secondly, much like Trigger emphasized, we didn’t get a lot of “me” on that album. It was predominantly “you”. I didn’t pick up much of an emotional connection or intimacy to the material at hand. And one can still absolutely deliver when focused on the second or third-person narration, but you’ve got to have some real populist chops to really make it work in the third person especially………………and I didn’t see enough of that on her debut major-label album.

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Now going into this album, the lead single, “Biscuits”, admittedly left me fearing a hackneyed and tired album as a whole in that it smacked as cutting board leftovers from the sessions of her previous album…………..but we didn’t necessarily get that with “Pageant Material”.

I know, straight-up, that arguably the single biggest criticism this album is going to get will be how laid-back it sounds when her personality is decidedly anything but laid-back. But I’d argue it actually works more often here, because I want to see her differentiate from that “country music rebel” tagline much like Eric Church constantly finds himself tangled in, and show you don’t have to try too hard to show that. You just make the music you want to make, and not so much feel the obligatory need for F-bombs every other line and references to alcohol and cannabis.

“Dime Store Cowgirl” is easily her best single since her debut because I actually view it as the positive, warm flip-side of her debut. There’s an innocence underlying the lyrics that is articulated so well by Musgraves’ sweet delivery and bright production……….reflecting on the youthful naivete of chasing dreams. And she absolutely nails it because you feel this unmistakable intimate connection with the material. She also achieves this with “Fine” and the secret duet that follows it.

I also really connected to “Late to the Party” because the concept is engaging and entertaining and its wry but sprightly delivery gave the album some needed vim. And while I can see why “Die Fun” is going to be one of the more polarizing cuts here, I personally found more to enjoy from that.

However, while I think there are surefire signs of artistic growth across this album, some of the familiar issues I had with “Same Trailer Different Park” carry over into this album as well. Again, there are a handful of songs that I neither felt any sort of personal connection to nor are as clever as they are made out to be on paper.

“Cup of Tea” is probably the most obvious offender to my ears in that it smacks as “Been there, heard that!”. But I was also let down by the complete lack of perspective in “This Town”. There’s no point of view, there’s no characters. We have already seen her tackle the theme of small-town disillusionment in spades with “Merry Go ‘Round”. Why bother returning to that well when you’re not going to fill that pail up to the fullest? And while I appreciate the growing attention being directed at Music Row’s homogenized, rigid cadre and can also fully understand the sentiment, “Good Ol’ Boys Club” didn’t impress me necessarily with some clunky lyricism that also bogged down “Biscuits”.

Also, once again, the production does get notably samey after a while. Much of this can be attributed to the fact her key choice collaborators are Luke Laird and Shane McAnally: of which both are among the most established and omnipotent names in mainstream country music. I still contend that the sooner she chooses to shake up her songwriting and production team, the better she’ll be. Still, Laird and McAnally, to their credit, actually provide a generous dose of pedal steel and banjo to a number of tracks…………..which go a good distance in keeping the album from gravitating too closely to Adult Contemporary. They do help give the light production enough hickory flavor.

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In the end, I’m giving “Pageant Material” 1 1/2 Guns Up.

Is it “Album of the Year” material? No. But I instantly agree it’s better than what I was expecting; especially saying a lot in that I wasn’t excited about this album beforehand. With this, she has done enough here to convince me even when she’s quite unlikely to become a major mainstream star or radio staple, she’s here to stay and deserves to be taken seriously as a force to reckon with in country music and her best days are still ahead of her when she decides to ditch Laird and McAnally.

To me, her personality (from afar, of course) seems like the very definition of laid back, and therefore the album sounds even better to my ears. What makes you say her personality is “decidedly anything but” laid back?

I just don’t get it. I kinda can’t stand this chick. Don’t get me wrong though, I support her and want her to succeed! I can hear the instruments and style as much as anyone else, so I hope she has mainstream success. I just don’t like her singing style or her songwriting.

In fact, I think that’s mostly it-everyone’s gushing about her songwriting but I think it lands somewhere between corny and slightly above average (or way above average, if you’re comparing strictly to bro-country douche bag songs). It just is what it is. I’d take a song written by Sturgill or Jason Boland over this chick 7 days a week and twice on Sunday.

But again-I hope she has success, cause I see the bigger picture. Just seriously doubt I’ll ever buy one of her albums. Why? Cause Biscuits. That’s why. (Along with others, but that’s a big one!)

Haven’t heard all of it, but yes I’ve listened to others and wasn’t blown away in the slightest. Again, as I thought I thought I was careful to point out, I’m not making the argument that she’s a “bad” songwriter. Just that she’s not a “great” songwriter like people are making her out to be. That’s an important distinction. I don’t hate her, I just don’t understand the hype, that’s all. Hype or not, great songwriter or not, I really do hope she has success because I like the more traditional style.

I think the issue is that people keep forgetting the qualifiers “mainstream” and “on the radio” when talking about Musgraves, haha.

It’s a bit fucked up to say, but I think a big reason for the hype is because we finally have someone as good-looking as Kacey Musgraves playing the type of music we like.

Unfortunately, that factor gives her a better shot of achieving mainstream success and helping actual country music regain a foothold on country radio than better artists who don’t look like Kacey Musgraves have, and she seems to recognize that and be doing her best to help.

Musical revolutions only go mainstream when pretty white people decide to join in, and Musgraves seems to be real country music’s pretty white person, so people are really, really excited.

I agree with everything you said in the review. I’ve never been a huge fan of hers, thought she’s way overrated, and I wasn’t expecting much from this album, but there’s some really good songs on here. I really like Fine, High Time, Somebody To Love, Good Ol’ Boys Club, Miserable, and the Willie Nelson duet. I think these songs really show her maturing and expanding musically and lyrically. Dime Store Cowgirl has a similar feel and groove to many of her other songs but the melody is fresh as well as the subject matter. It’s a very solid song. I hope it does well as a single if it becomes one. Biscuits, Family Is Family, Cup of Tea, and Die Fun are the ones I really dislike. They are so similar to the songs from her first album that caused me to not care for her originally.

I still think she’s still somewhat overrated (especially by people saying things like she’s the best female country singer these days), but I think she will just keep getting better with each album. As others have said, it won’t be a contender for my favorite album of 2015, but there’s certainly some great songs. I would rate it 1 1/2 guns up.

Die Fun is the only song that isn’t good on this album. Both singles are great and pure country.

She definitely is the best female country singer. Who else can compare to Kacey? Miranda has completely fallen off the wagon lately and she is basically her only competition. No female singer can mix up quite a stir over a new album release like Kacey so I don’t see how she is overrated.

In terms of true country music (and not this folk/americana stuff), this album is the best we have gotten so far this year.

You should look a lot more into Americana. A lot of it is straight up country music given a different label so that bougies from the Northeast can buy great music while still saying they don’t like country, haha.

Also, Ashley Monroe, Brandy Clark and Lindi Ortega are all straight up country, no folk at all, and are at least on Kacey’s level. Amanda Shires is more to the folk side, I guess, but she’s had my favorite female voice since I heard her cover of “Detroit or Buffalo” on a “country in the morning” program on a college radio station a few years back.

Expected more. This is just like her last album in lyrics,slow tempo, etc. She always seems like she is too cool for school. Man, I hope Ashley Monroe and Brandy Clark’s CDs are better. Musgraves “cutesy Cowboy shtick” is getting old. Her performing in baby doll dress is ridiculous for an “outlaw”. PS can she ever just write by herself or one other person? Her committee songs makes it hard for us to get her true writing voice. I really liked her last album a lot. Not so much a fan of her live act/ cutesy Baby attire.

Great comments here and what a great album. This album helped me remember why I fell in love with country music in the early 1990s. To be honest, in recent months, I haven’t been listening to much country music. Maybe because every song is just a guy serenading a teen girl.

I really love this release.

I want to defend two songs that seem to be under attack a little.

First off, I love “This Town.” I didn’t get any smalltown angst at all from it. I took as a townpeople sticking together, plus it’s kind of play on how social media works. We are friends with everyone, so good luck cheating on your wife. You’re going to get caught.

Also, I got a lot of “me” with “Miserable.” I felt Kacey was singing into a mirror, asking herself why she can’t be happy.

I also really didn’t like “Biscuits” or “Family is Family.” I don’t know why a label would release those songs when there were five or six others which are more radio friendly. I hope there is a good response to “Dime Store Cowgirl.”

I must be missing something but I just cannot get on the Kacey Musgraves band wagon. I think all of her music sounds the same and is overly cliche. The only track of hers I liked was “It is what it is” on her first album. I near obsession with female musicians, especially those who write their own music, but nothing she does makes me want to hear more. At least country radio is supporting someone who writes their own music. A step in the right direction but not for me.

I am enjoying the album. A lot of the songs are similar but I like the production and instrumentation. I also found it ridiculous that there was a report about the song “Good Ol’ Boys Club” being a diss of Taylor Swift because of the “big machine” line in the chorus. Seemed like a cheap way to get views. Of course, it was Taste of Country so that’s not surprising. I think Kacey’s doing a great job of keeping the traditional sound alive and still making it sound modern. Other artists talk about it but she’s actually doing it.

One of the most country albums of the last decade. Hope she countinues like this and doesn’t turn to pop just like Faith, Shania or Taylor. I also hope she doesn’t end up like Miranda. Anyway I feel like this album is a lot green. I mean listrning to it is like the wind that blows on the prairie on a sunny day. I love how the choruses don’t explode but they evolve naturally without separating the song in the chorus part an the rest. it makes it more authentic. I think that Miserable (one of the songs on it, in my opinion) is about a sort of addiction to a certain kind od sadness, just like a soft form of depression. I do’t think it’s another break up song, fortunately.

I also regard Pageant Material as the female version of Paradise Valley by John Mayer, concerning to content and music style, don’t you think so, Triggerman? 🙂